Bicycle seat system

Abstract

A seat system for providing a substantially normal contact angle between the seat and the ischial tuberosities of a rider seated thereupon. The seat system includes variable padding that is configured to generally cooperate with the physiology of the rider. The padding is secured to a base that includes a pair of rails extending from an underside of the base. The rails are attached to permit controlled motion of the seat during pedaling operation in response to the change in orientation of the rider's physiology relative to the seat. The deflection of the seat cooperates with the motion of the rider's physiology through a substantial portion of a rider's pedaling motion.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to bicycles and, more particularly, to a bicycle seat system including a number of seat configurations that can be associated with a given rider's anatomical structure to enhance the user's cycling experience.[0002]Many bicycle riders experience discomfort related to the bicycle seat. The multitude of bicycle seats on the market attests to the wide range of rider preferences and suggests that the final solution has not yet been found. Seat comfort depends on many factors, among them, the compliance or firmness of the padding, the appropriate seating surface shape, and cooperation with the rider's motion.[0003]The thickness of padding along with the density or firmness of the padding has an effect on comfort. Generally, increased pressure between the rider's body and the seat results in increased discomfort for the rider. The opposite is also true: decreasing pressure generally results in decreased discomfort. I...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]Another aspect of the invention that includes one or more of the aspects discussed above discloses a bicycle seat system that includes a base and a pad that overlies the base. The pad and the base each have a selected lateral radius of curvature that corresponds to a rider's lateral ischial tuberosity spacing to provide a substantially normal contact angle between each ischial tuberosity and the base. Such a construction provides a seat system that transfers the rider's weight to the bicycle seat in a manner which provides support of the rider at a preferred lateral spacing on the pelvic bones while limiting the tangential force interaction between the rider and the seat.

[0014]A further aspect of the invention incorporating one or more of the aspects above is directed to a bicycle seat having a base, a first rail, and a second rail. The base includes an upper side for facing a rider and an underside for facing a vehicle. The first and second rails extend along the underside of the base between a front portion and a rear portion of the base. The first and second rails extend along the underside of the base such that the first and second rails are generally aligned and symmetric with respect to a longitudinal axis of the base. Each of the first and second rails are secured to the rear portion of the base at a position offset from the longitudinal axis to allow restricted rotation of the base relative to a vertically oriented support during pedaling. Such a construction allows limited rotation of the base with respect to the bicycle to cooperate with the rider's natural pelvic motion by reducing opposition to leg and pelvic motion throughout the pedaling process. Such movement also limits sliding engagement between the rider and the seat during the pedaling process thereby reducing the friction associated with the engagement of the rider with the seat.

Problems solved by technology

Many bicycle riders experience discomfort related to the bicycle seat.

Generally, increased pressure between the rider's body and the seat results in increased discomfort for the rider.

However, such seats invariably must increase the pressure elsewhere on the body because the same portion of the rider's body weight is now supported over a decreased surface area, thus increasing the pressure on the parts of the body that remain in contact with the remaining surface of the seat.

Thicker and / or softer padding can have soothing effects initially, since the peak pressures are reduced on the rider's body, but padding that is too soft or thick can create new discomfort after a short time because the softer and / or thicker padding can deform into other areas of the rider's body, adding pressure to areas that then become uncomfortable.

Yet another source of seat discomfort that is unaccounted for in many seat designs is the natural movement of the rider.

This natural movement of the pelvis may contribute to discomfort through a shearing or scrubbing stress between the rider and the seat surface, and through a cyclic increase and decrease of the pressure between the rider's leg and the top surface and outer edges of the seat.

A seat that does not move sufficiently with the rider can cause discomfort by interfering with the rider's leg, for example as the leg approaches the bottom of a pedal stroke, or by shearing or scrubbing motion, or by contact rubbing between the relative motion of the rider's leg as it moves past a seat that does not cooperate with the rider's motion.

Another source of discomfort on some bicycle seats is that skeletal dimensions differ from one individual to the next.

A rider whose pelvic dimensions are mismatched to the seat's dimensions can experience discomfort as a result.

For example, it can be uncomfortable for a rider with narrow pelvic dimensions to sit on a wider seat, since the extra width of the seat may interfere with the rider's natural pedaling motion by, for example, the rider's legs pushing on the sides of the seat.

This pushing can cause intermittent pressure with each pedal stroke as well as chafing of the skin as the leg rubs across such an unyielding seat surface.

Likewise, it may be uncomfortable for a rider with wider pelvic dimensions to sit on a narrow seat, since the sit bones are then supported more medially on the ischiopubic rami, at a sloped angle that increases the lateral force component of the rider's body weight on the seat.

This lateral force component, though helpful in controlling lateral movement and stability of the bicycle, can, if it grows too large, lead to excessive pressure on the rider's body at these contact points resulting in rider discomfort.

Such an association can cause an even greater increase in pressure and discomfort on the inner edges of the ischiopubic rami, can greatly increase the pressure along the center of the seat's length and therefore on the rider's corresponding perineal region, and therefore lead to even greater rider discomfort.

Yet another influence on seat discomfort is the curvature of the seat's upper surface.

Pressure in this area can be uncomfortable due to the nerves in this area and / or because the flesh there is seldom sat upon and as such, is sometimes less toughened.

Likewise excessive rear view curvature increases the contact force between the seat and rider by including an excessively large horizontal force component which, when combined with the existing vertical force component, increases the total resulting force between the rider's pelvis and the seat.

The increased pressure on the left and right side contact points of the ischiopubic rami can lead to increased rider discomfort.

Images